Written by James Robinson
Art by Javier Pina
Cover by Renato Guedes
Since Superman freed him from the Phantom Zone, Mon-El has spent all his time learning about Earth and its diverse cultures. But how much does he really know about Daxam, the homeworld he fled years ago? A gift from the Legionnaire Tellus allows Mon-El to explore the ancient history of Daxam – from its founding as a Kryptonian colony to its connection to the Mayans of Earth to its bloody civil war. Join Mon-El as he discovers that the planet he always believed to be peaceful and dull is actually anything but. Date Available: 08/19/2009
BONUS REVIEW by GARY OWENS
If continuity is your thing, this annual is for you. First, forget Superman. Like the monthly book, you can count on one hand the pages he (or Clark) appears. Instead James Robinson offers up the origin of Mon-El, a guy who’s been around, but whose origin, deep and compelling here, isn’t told every other day. Robinson and Pina construct a living history of worlds, showing brutalities (see Krypton), with scenes peace and prosperity ripe with societal issues (Daxam, Mon-el’s birth place). Pina’s art sells here; less, perhaps, because of fine workmanship, but more because he knows how to tell a story through art. No small task, that. Yes, nothing here beyond the origin, but a great read, an issue I’ve reread several times. Which is the best compliment I can give.
